Clear Health Communication

"Not knowing how to read feels like being blind, ignorant, not able to understand or ask people. I feel embarrassed to tell the doctor I cannot understand." - Anonymous Patient

Health literacy is the degree to which people can understand basic health information and services they need to make appropriate health decisions, including:

Reading an appointment slip

Interpreting prescription information

Understanding recommendations for health care

Completing health insurance applications

Understanding informed consent

The goals of The Ohio State University Clear Health Communication Program are:

To raise awareness in Ohio that health literacy is an important public health and health care issue

To present information that connects health literacy issues and strategies to the goals of Healthy People 2010

To explore various strategies and collaborations necessary in addressing these issues statewide

To build capacity within Ohio for addressing health literacy issues

To complement current health literacy initiatives and research in Ohio and to link the seven Ohio regional Area Health Education Centers and programs with other health-related entities to address this problem statewide

To develop a program model that addresses health literacy issues on a statewide basis

The Ohio State University College of Medicine
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Columbus, OH 43210 614-685-4411

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